Weekend Workshop with Senior Teacher Stephanie Quirk
Oct 28 – 29A weekend with one of the most experienced teachers in the Iyengar tradition.
For students with an established practice in Iyengar Yoga.Click here to sign up

Weekend Workshop with Senior Teacher Manouso Manos
Jan 12 – 14, 2018

The Studio:

Women’s Yoga Retreat:

Ratna Ling Main Lodge

Beauty abounds at the Retreat Center
and in the surrounding area.

The Yoga Room - Heated Floor and Vaulted Ceilings

Cottage - Living Room

Cottage Bedroom

Obstacles to Practice

Injury or Disease (vyadhi)- Getting an injury and losing the ability to do poses can be devastating, especially where we're not sure whether we will recover or not. Some people develop chronic diseases, or just have bodies that get injured more often.“Pain is there as a teacher, because life is filled with pain….since pain is inevitable, asana is a laboratory in which we discover how to tolerate the pain that cannot be avoided and how to transform the pain that can.” – BKS Iyengar, Light on Life, p. 47

Doubt (samsaya)– Many practitioners face a time of doubt, whether that is doubting ourselves and our abilities, our teachers, or the practice itself.

Laziness – This can take the form of mental dullness (styana) or mental restlessness where we think ourselves in circles. It can also be physical laziness (alasya), an inertia or heaviness in the body that makes it hard to get up and do something.

Backsliding (anavasthitatva)- Even long-time practitioners with a strong practice can slip back into old habits. There are many stories of spiritual leaders or gurus who reached high levels of practice, but then fell back into temptations and attachments such as desire and greed.

Despair (daurmanasya) – There are different interpretations of this sanskrit term, but for this article it is defined as mental or emotional pain and suffering. Those of us who struggle with depression might experience feelings of worthlessness and self-critical thoughts that interfere with our practice.